


Just Give Me A Reason

by brokenchesspieces



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, Minor Character Death, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-29
Updated: 2016-04-20
Packaged: 2018-05-29 01:23:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6353341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokenchesspieces/pseuds/brokenchesspieces
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is a story behind their meeting at Beacon. Anyone could see that from the start, and they could not forget the years leading up to that moment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Rating may change in future chapters, and I will leave any and all trigger warnings in notes of chapters to which they apply.

_Atlas Academy._

Being the most technologically advanced place in all of Remnant, it was hardly a surprise that Atlas' school was also fitted with the most up-to-date equipment and expected nothing but the best of its students. With the hopes that one day those same students would be recruited into the military, it was the responsibility of the school's staff to make sure only those best qualified entered and excelled at their studies.

Some would think this to be suffocating, a stifling environment for any who wished for a life beyond rules and regulations, but for Winter Schnee, it was finally a breath of fresh air. A new-found freedom she was now experiencing to be out of her father's constant gaze.

She would be able to be her own person.

Standing with her back straight and head held high, it was no surprise to her that others avoided her, even now a month after beginning her studies at the Academy. Her name was one that many despised for various reasons, most of them beyond her control. If they did not like her, that was their problem, not hers. She was here to gain training, not make friends. And even her own team was cold toward her. Not that she allowed it to bother her. They needed to be able to work cohesively, not become close and worry about whether or not they would be able to do their jobs. Some might question whether or not she was lonely with no close friends to keep her company, but Winter kept herself busy with books and tactics rather than playing games and wasting time. She was used to the solitude. Home certainly was not any different save for her sister.

If there was anything Winter second guessed herself for, it would be leaving her sister back at home with all their father's attention now focused on her. She could only hope that he would not be too harsh with Weiss, but she could not stay forever at the estate when it meant she was doing nothing more than playing a role she was given. A role she could not maintain.

_Quiet and demure._

That wasn't her.

She was never the perfect daughter their father demanded. Winter was proper in public, but she had a rebellious streak a mile wide. Instead of learning how to play various instruments as high society demanded, she was learning programming and how to tear apart mechanical mechanisms only to put them back together. Her room was cluttered with gears and springs, smudges of oil forever staining the wood of her vanity where instead of makeup, rested tools and bits of dismantled electronics. Not that she didn't play her part in front of guests, lest she incur the wrath of her father, but it wasn't what she wanted. What she wanted was to be able to make her _own_ decisions.

 _That_ was why she was here.

It didn't help that she had a temper that rivaled her fathers, but Winter preferred to ignore any similarities she had with the man. She was trying to get out of his shadow, not remain in it.

Wishing she could sigh without seeming improper—old habits die hard—Winter found herself bored with the class she sat through. It was a lecture on Grimm. As if they didn't _already_ know what the beasts were capable of. If anyone was that naive, then they shouldn't even be there. The glazed looks that came from her fellow students confirmed her suspicion that it was no more than a waste of time.

They were not _children_.

It was a relief when the class finally ended and they were dismissed. Her classmates were quick to gather their things and rush out rather unceremoniously, but she took her time to collect her belongings.

"Miss Schnee, was there something you needed?"

She glanced up at the question, her expression blank as she realized she was the last student remaining. Apparently everyone else lacked enough class to take things at a slower pace.

"No, sir."

A pause lingered, as if her professor was waiting for more of an explanation, but when she offered none, Winter watched as he nodded and gathered his own things. She stood and calmly strode from the room without a backwards glance. There were better things she could be doing with her time, and with no more classes following the one that just ended, she was certain the training areas would be vacant as most probably rushed off to shovel food into their mouths.

_How uncivilized._

With a frustrated sigh, Winter continued on to the training area with every intention of working on perfecting one of her more difficult glyphs. Dedicating an hour or two to the task should be enough for the evening, and after that the cafeteria should be far calmer. At least she could only hope so. Too many students trying to talk over each other would only aggravate a headache.

Winter had every intention of getting to the training area without incident—as usual—but when the wind was suddenly knocked out of her, and she found herself on the ground, she was _not_ pleased at this turn of events. Pushing at the person who crashed into her, Winter had no interest for apologies. This wouldn't have been necessary if the other had paid attention and didn't completely blindside her in the process.

A hand was suddenly thrust in her face as the stranger stood, and she scowled before swatting it away.

"I truly am sorry, I should have paid more attention to where I was going."

If that wasn't obvious already.

Winter glanced up and saw a woman in a white cloak hovering over her, looking slightly concerned, but also seemingly unfazed by all of this. The stranger didn't seem to be a student, none from Atlas at any rate, but she had other things to focus on. Instead of answering the woman, she decided to gather her things.

"I hope you're not upset."

Apparently she wasn't giving up, but of course Winter was upset. She just had the wind knocked out of her and ended up on the ground. This was far from dignified. "You were in a rush," Winter stated with no questioning in her tone. "You have other places to be than worrying about a stranger."

"Oh...."

The other sounded a bit dejected, but if Winter learned anything in those few short moments was that this woman seemed to bounce back quickly.

"I'm Summer. Summer Rose. What's your name?"

If she hadn't given up before now, surely she would once she received her answer.

"Winter Schnee."

A pause of silence passed between them, and Winter finally stood and straightened herself out, only to find a hand pushed back into her personal space.

"Nice to meet you," came a cheery reply.

This was a peculiar interaction, that much was clear to her. Most would sneer or walk away or even begin to ask if they could be her friend for the sole purpose of trying to get at her father's money and status through her. It was rather pointless. Summer, however, seemed different. Surely the other was aware of what her family's business was, what the practices were, so why continue with the pleasantries?

She hesitated for a moment before sighing and reaching out as well to shake the other's hand.

"Are you a student here?" Summer asked before ending the handshake.

"I am. You are not, I assume."

"Me? Oh, no, I haven't been a student for years now."

Winter was somewhat surprised to hear this. She seemed so _youthful_ with how she acted, she could have sworn she would be one, even if she was in her final year.

"May I ask why you have come to Atlas Academy?" It wasn't every day that some random stranger was allowed to wander freely throughout the Academy unsupervised; though, Winter would not be surprised if the woman slipped away from any escort she may have had.

"We're just here to pass some information regarding a mission along to the Headmaster."

"We?"

She watched as Summer spun around and looked for whoever it was she apparently lost in the process of running, quite literally, into her.

"One of my teammates, but I guess I lost him."

This woman was a huntress but she could not keep track of her own teammate? Granted, Winter wasn't entirely certain where hers were either, but that was different. She was in a familiar location and a student. This woman had since graduated and was clearly not familiar with proper conduct of the Academy.

"I should probably go find him and get this meeting over with. I do have girls I need to get home to. Maybe I'll see you around!"

A flurry of white petals later, Winter stood alone.

No wonder she hadn't noticed the other coming toward her if she could simply disappear that fast.

Taking a moment to check her scroll, she sighed. Precious time was wasted, time that could have been used toward training. No matter, if she made it there in a few minutes, she could easily make up what time was lost while still being able to make it to the cafeteria before it closed.

  


* * *

 

_Concentrate._

Practically glaring at the glyph, Winter watched as it spun and sputtered before fading away from existence. While, logically, she knew that she was trying too hard at this point, that she already used most of her energy in the two hours that passed by, it was still frustrating that she couldn't continue to replicate the one she was having the most issue with. Perhaps her Aura was already too drained to handle a skill she had yet to grasp.

 _Fine._ If she could not practice that particular glyph, she could work with another.

Focusing her energy on something else, a Beowolf formed from the summoning glyph, bringing a satisfied smirk to her face. At least she could manage that much without any trouble, but her amusement was short-lived. All of the Schnee family could summon. This was hardly anything worth feeling proud of. It was an inherited skill. It was nothing she could call her own.

With a glare she watched as the Beowulf summon peered at her before she launched herself toward it and sliced the creature in two.

_It was too weak._

Perhaps that was a sign of her depleted Aura much like her earlier failed attempt. It was about time time to stop for now anyway. There was nothing more she could do if she had no energy to practice in the first place. She was not so foolish as to push herself past the breaking point. Not anymore.

"So who's the princess?"

Hearing the voice, Winter spun while brandishing her sword at the intruder. However, they were not alone.

"This is Winter."

_Summer._

Blinking at the woman from before, she wondered if the stranger was the wayward teammate she lost earlier. Though, the man's chuckling only annoyed her as she noticed the smirk forming as well.

"Winter, huh? Well, she _is_ pretty much your opposite."

Completely unimpressed with the current conversation, Winter decided to try proving she had the upper hand in such situations. Standing straight and holding her head high, she gave the stranger a slightly condescending look, despite the obvious fact that he was no student.

"Winter Schnee. And _you_ are?"

The laughter that followed was not what she expected.

" _Schnee_? Oh, so you _are_ a princess. Honestly, Summer? You wanted to find her?"

While she was used to snide remarks and people talking about her because of her family name, her temper flared up at his tone. How _dare_ he talk to her in such a manner?

"Do not speak to me in such a manner." she demanded. "You clearly do not know who I am."

There was that infuriating smirk again.

"A stuck up _princess_ who probably only got in with daddy's money. Am I right?"

"Qrow!"

Winter watched as Summer turned on her teammate, glaring at him for the comment, and while Winter was surprised by the sudden action, she did not need anyone's help. Especially not now. She could fight her own battles.

"First," she stated with an authority she didn't have, "do **not** call me _princess_. Second, you are incorrect, but I guess I cannot blame someone so dullwitted to understand that I was accepted in on my own merits. How _you_ became a huntsman is beyond me."

She expected the argument to continue. Perhaps even a challenge given—even if logically even if her Aura wasn't already running low—she would be in no position to think she could match him. What could a first year student do against a fully trained huntsman? Even if that huntsman was a fool?

What she didn't expect was his smirk to grow and a wink.

_What?_

He completely threw her off, and she heard Summer sighing to the side.

" _Qrow_. Do not pick fights with Atlas students or you won't be invited again. Isn't James enough to pester for you?"

"All these Atlesians need to lighten up. Seems like this one is walkin' in his footsteps."

"Do not talk about me as if I am not here," Winter snapped. Gripping the hilt of her sword with a bit more force, Winter was very much tempted to run it through him, but she had to remain professional. She had to keep a hold of her temper. She had—

"Of course," Qrow stated while mocking a bow, " _princess_."

Narrowing her eyes at him, she wondered where he found the audacity to go on as he did.

" _Ahem._ "

Blinking, Winter turned her attention back toward Summer, not minding the distraction from the rather infuriating teammate of hers.

"There is no need to antagonize each other here," the older woman said in a tone that Winter recognized as one who would no longer tolerate their actions.

A moment of hesitation passed before Winter nodded and sheathed her sword. It was best to put it away before she truly was tempted to cause serious damage. At least now she couldn't be blamed for making matters worse; though, she couldn't help but to watch in amusement as Summer's attention went from her to Qrow and the shrug he offered in reply seemed to be enough of an act of defeat to please her.

"I do apologize Winter," Summer said kindly—a scoff coming from her teammate. "I came here to say sorry again for running into you earlier, and I thought he might behave himself."

Winter heard a muttered 'you know better' come from her companion, but she chose to ignore it.

"There is no need to apologize," Winter stated; though, making no reply as to state that she forgave the other, either. "You had somewhere to be."

"Are you honestly that _cold_?"

A glare was snapped back toward Qrow for a moment before she begrudgingly turned back toward Summer. "...apology accepted."

The smile that Summer offered her was worth the smug grin that she noticed Qrow giving. As if he had won something. Accepting an apology wasn't forfeiting.

"I hope to see you around next time, Winter," Summer said happily as she turned to exit the training area.

"See ya, _Ice Queen_."


	2. Chapter 2

"Do it again."

Returning to her starting position, Winter held her saber at the ready and stilled her breathing before going through another training simulation. Just as she was supposed to learn from her mistakes, the program adjusted and learned with her. What she could easily do to gain the upper hand in one moment would be much harder to accomplish in the next. It could be brutal if the fight went too long, but it was meant to make the students aware of what they still needed to work on.

There were no second chances out on the field.

The timer kept track of her time, and she continued executing each attack she knew against the simulation with proper form until her surroundings turned red when she missed an attack that would have been fatal had it been a real fight.

Frustration built up under the surface, and she knew she could do better. She _had_ to. Not only did she have to excel, but she had a point to prove.

To everyone.

"Miss Schnee."

The sharp tone caught her attention and she turned toward her professor.

"While your technique is impressive, there are times when breaking proper form will save your life. It would do you well to remember that. Now return to your seat," he said while resetting the simulation to wipe the memory of the system for the next student.

"Yes, sir," she said while feeling her jaw clench. She now had a new goal. Improve her technique and do so _without_ the need to break form. She understood the need for it, she truly did, but with the Vytal Festival around the corner, she knew her father would be watching for any mistakes, and reason to withdraw his permission to allow her to attend the school. That would be unacceptable. Now that she was here, she didn't want to go back.

"As if a Schnee could ever loosen up," a muttered comment came from one of her fellow students.

Holding her head a bit higher, Winter decided it was not worth acknowledging whichever ingrate decided to comment. Their opinions did not matter to her. What mattered was getting through her years at school. After that....

She hadn't thought that far ahead yet.

Winter had no intention of working for her father's company. Not with how he dragged their family name through the mud with his business practices and policies. She knew that he wanted her to return home and to the company once she was done with her schooling, but she wanted nothing to do with his legacy. She would forge her own, and she would do so without his interference.

The problem was what should she do? The staff at Atlas Academy pushed for their students to join the ranks of the military and government rather than become independent huntsmen and huntresses with no ties to any of the four kingdoms, but was that what she wanted? Did she want to be bound to one kingdom and its regulations when there was the rest of the world out there to explore? Was she asking for too much? She already gained a new level of freedom just in attending Atlas Academy, even with its link to the military. Did she need even more?

There were still years before she had to make up her mind, but time would creep up and catch her by surprise if she wasn't careful.

Once she took her seat again, she watched with disinterest as her classmates also went through the simulations as she did, each one failing one after the other. Why _she_ had been singled out, she wasn't sure, but the others were certainly no better than her. If anything, their own techniques could _clearly_ use work, but it was not her place to speak up. They would learn or they would fail.

It was as simple as that.

Maybe she was as cold as Qrow claimed.

When the thought came to mind, she narrowed her eyes slightly at the memory of the rather frustrating man. Now was not the time to be thinking of _him_. He was an annoyance that she would likely never see again. There was no reason to think about anything he said or did. It was best to simply forget she had ever met him.

Refocusing on the scene in front of her, she watched as yet another student—to no surprise—failed the challenge. Not that she could think too highly of her own abilities since she also failed, but Winter knew she had no other option than to redouble her training. She may have been trying to keep from pushing herself too hard—she knew how detrimental that could be—but she refused to be nothing but the best.

She would start immediately.

 

* * *

_One.... Two.... Three...._

Each movement required the right amount of force and concentration behind it. Too much and the motion could veer off course or even exhaust the user faster than necessary, leaving them vulnerable to attack. Not enough and it would falter and fail.

It was almost like a dance.

_Step. Shift. Slash. Pause. Repeat._

The exertion strained her muscles, but fighting through pain was nothing new, nor was it something that should not be practiced. Winter knew that when fighting Grimm, one could only rely on their endurance in the end. The ability to hold out long enough, to buy time, was perhaps the most useful skill one could learn. It was a fool's thought that strength alone could win against those creatures. Their numbers seemed never ending, and all they could do was hold them off, destroy those too close to towns and cities, and hope that there were always huntsmen and huntresses to take up the fight. There was no end to it.

Some may think her a pessimist for the thought, but Winter thought herself more of a realist. Grimm had far too many in number to think they could ever be defeated. People tried, and they failed. It was a fool's errand to think that they could do anything more than control populations where need be. They held no sentimentality, no care for life. It did not matter to them if they ended lives of innocents or murderers. They felt no mercy.

There were those that learned to wait, to bide their time for the right moment. What that moment was, she did not know, but there were studies done on Goliaths showing their movements outside of established cities, never straying too far away. There was something compelling them to linger, watching for something, but what was it?

Lost in her thoughts, she felt herself slip slightly, ruining the practically choreographed movements of her strikes. With a frustrated sigh, she returned to the starting position.

_Again._

Winter shifted back into position and started her first strike before hearing her scroll start to ring.

There was only one person who bothered to call her.

Her attack faltered, and she silently cursed herself before taking a deep breath and pulling out the scroll. She didn't want to answer it, but the repercussions of such an act of defiance might not be worth it. Making her choice quickly, Winter answered the call.

"Hello, father."

The pause after her greeting filled her with momentary dread. Holding the hilt of her weapon with a bit more force, she hoped he would not be able to guess how much she did not want to be having this conversation.

_"You did not answer immediately."_

The question as to why was heavily implied in his statement.

"I am sorry, I was training and in the middle of—"

_"Excuses. You know how I feel about them."_

"Yes, sir." It took effort to keep the bite out of her tone. It would only make matters worse, even though what she said was true.

And now she had to wait through an awkward silence.

_"The Vytal Festival is soon approaching, and while a first year is not expected to accomplish much, do make sure you are not an embarrassment. Your performance could effect not only the business but also the image of our family as a whole."_

That was his reason for calling? To tell her to not be an embarrassment? Not that Winter could say she was particularly surprised at the turn of the conversation, but she knew it had nothing to do with causing embarrassment for herself, but rather keeping up appearances for him. For his business.

"Of course," she stated while trying to keep a hold on her temper. It would not help her if she lost it now. "I will do everything in my power to perform perfectly."

_"Good. I expect nothing less than the best from a daughter of mine."_

There was another pause, and then he hung up.

Winter was very tempted to throw her scroll at the wall, but her grip on it remained as she glowered down at the screen. There was no point in getting worked up over his call. It was what he did best, after all. Push and insist perfection. She wanted to be logical and point out that this level of perfection he wanted didn't exist. There would always be something that could be improved, something that could have been more efficient, and she knew it.

She had a choice. Either she could continue working on her training despite the exhaustion setting in, now that she was somewhat forced to take a break, or she could call it a night and get some proper rest before trying again. The _correct_ option was easily identifiable. It would make no sense to continue pushing when little would come of it, but her father's voice nagged at her that she wasn't doing enough. That because of it she was incapable of handling the stress of training as a huntress, and she was very tempted to prove him otherwise.

But then she would be playing into his game.

After a few more moments of contemplating her choices, Winter heaved a sigh and sheathed her blade. Logic overrode what she was used to doing. After clearing the space she used, she returned her weapon to her locker and began her walk back to the dorms.

A chilled breeze swept through the academy, and it hinted at the change of seasons. Summer was terribly short lived in Atlas, being so far north it was an inevitable situation, and now autumn approached, and winter would soon follow on its heels. Snow always came early, long before winter officially started, and left long after spring began. Many thought the kingdom to be a barren wasteland of snow and ice, and they weren't exactly wrong. There were places where the snow lingered year-round and ice was impenetrable, but those locations were uninhabitable. The Grimm could have them.

Few other students were wandering about, ignoring her just as she ignored them. While she had hoped that things would go better between her and the others at the school, Winter also was not filled with any delusions. Perhaps if she went to a school farther from home, one where her family was a little less well-known, she would have had the opportunity to start fresh, but as it was, they already knew her, or rather, thought they knew her. Nothing but a rich girl who could get anything and everything she wanted if she simply pointed. A girl who was not here through any talent of her own, but rather because of who her father was, and while she did have access to things others probably only ever dreamed about, life was not a bed of roses.

Far from it.

Rather than allow herself get caught up in those thoughts, however, Winter refocused her attention toward the dorm building lying ahead. Pulling out her scroll, she held it in front of a sensor to cause the door to unlock and allow her to enter. It was useful to help keep out those without permission to enter, but of course that did not always work. Guests were allowed in should a student bring them into the building, and sometimes the doors were propped open when someone wanted to be particularly annoying about ignoring safety precautions. At least this time Winter wasn't forced to kick away a stray rock or other obtrusive item as she sometimes was. Others would call her a spoilsport. She liked to think of it as following the rules.

As she traveled through the halls, Winter carefully kept track of how many doors she passed, where the turns were and what floor she was on before pausing outside of the door to her shared room with her team. It seemed quiet. Were they elsewhere?

Winter opened the door and found the room vacant. A small sigh of relief came from her at this discovery. While she and the other three had been getting along a bit better lately—something required of a team—sometimes they were simply too much to deal with.

A few quiet moments alone was what she needed after that call earlier.

Tossing her scroll onto her bed, Winter gathered some of her things and made her way to the bathroom. A hot shower was in order.

By the time she returned the room, changed, and started brushing out her hair, the rest of her team came in and flopped over on their own beds, chatting away with each other.

"Here," one said before tossing over a wrapped sandwich, leaving her to frown as it landed on her bed. At least the wrappings prevented it from making a mess, but food on her bed was hardly something she enjoyed. "Figured you skipped eating to train."

Winter set aside her brush and picked up the offered food and gave a small nod. "...thank you."

"Can't have our team leader dying from overwork before the Festival."

The others snickered, but she was aware it wasn't a bitterness that caused their amusement. Not anymore at least. They may not necessarily get along or like each other, but they could respect each other's talents and different backgrounds. That was all that mattered for the time being.

"Speaking of which," she started and ignored the collective groan that left her teammates, "we should hold team practices more often until then."

She thought she was going to get an argument; however, the conversation that followed kept them up through part of the night as they discussed different strategies they could try to put together in order to cover the weaknesses they were already well aware of. When Winter finally yawned, the others decided they should start focusing more on getting ready for bed rather than stay awake when they still had class the next day. There would be time for talking later.

"The princess is getting tired."

"Do _not_ call me that." Winter wanted to snap, but the anger in her tone was lost as another yawn was pulled from her and she chose to grumble into her pillow instead of arguing further.

"Ah, right, need to think of another nickname then?"

Rolling her eyes she decided to feign sleep rather than give in to the taunting.

Eventually everyone else set about their nightly routines, thankfully being quiet in the process as Winter drifted off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't fleshed out her team since I don't really want to put in OCs when we might one day get that information. There is one canon character I'm considering putting in, but not sure how well that would go. Just a heads up on the rather shoddy attempt at team interaction due to this.


	3. Chapter 3

With arms crossed, Winter felt that there was a better way to be spending the afternoon than setting up for a dance. Was this entirely necessary? Wasn't their hospitality toward the students of the other schools during the Vytal Festival enough? It was tradition, apparently, but traditions grew old fast, and sometimes they simply needed to be gotten rid of. At least that was her personal opinion on the matter. Not to mention she was rather irritated with the game that seemed to be going for someone to get a 'yes' from her to go as someone's date. Most attempts were from fellow Atlas students, but some students from the other academies started trying as well.

What was worse were the ones asking to prove that she was as cold-hearted as the Schnee name implied. They fully expected a no from her, but they asked anyway simply to attempt getting a rise out of her. Unfortunately for them, she would not bend to their petty little games. If anything Winter had every intention of not attending the dance. It simply was not worth the hassle. Besides, there were other things she could be working on. Her training, for example. Perhaps she could work on another glyph that would prove useful in the tournament that would start soon. She had to be ready for it, and to perform properly, she needed as much practice in as she could manage.

Her teammates disagreed with her on this, however. They had gone along with her increased training schedule, but they all wanted to attend the dance. They said it would be _fun_. Winter had her doubts, but she would not stop them when their minds were already made up. To do so would be pointless and a waste of time.

The least she could do was give her input in on how things should be set up, even if she wasn't attending.

"No, don't put that there!"

This was going to be a long afternoon.

 

* * *

 

_Stop. Breathe. Strike._

Winter frowned. Something didn't feel right about her attack. As if something was being forgotten, or missed, but it was how she normally executed this attack. Straightening her back, she tried to play her actions out in her head to see where things went wrong.

"So, you're here, too?"

Her thoughts came to a quick halt at the sound of a familiar voice. It was impossible to forget someone so infuriating. It would be wise to ignore him. Maybe then he would go away without further incident. Choosing to shift back into her stance to repeat her earlier actions and figure out where it went wrong, Winter began again.

Only to be interrupted a second time.

"Not bad. For a first year."

The fact that it was a backhanded compliment was not lost on her. "And _you_ could do better?" she hissed while spinning around to face Qrow. The moment she saw the smirk on his face, Winter regretted her words. Of course he could. A fully trained huntsman had to be better—especially compared to a first year—and that smug look on his face told her she played right into his hand.

"Do you think they let just anyone who can hold a weapon become a huntsman?" he asked.

She knew that he was provoking her into an argument, but to just ignore it....

"They let _you_ become one, did they not?"

The fact that he laughed was a bit unexpected. Though, as she thought about it, perhaps it shouldn't have been surprising at all. He was a rather peculiar individual.

"Big talk for someone who hasn't seen me fight."

"Do I need to?" she countered. "You seem to be the type to run recklessly into a fight without any prior planning."

"You can't plan everything, kid."

Winter narrowed her eyes at him. Of course that was true, but if he thought that rushing in was good enough, then she had to question whoever it was who allowed him to graduate in the first place. "At least a plan lies down the structure of how things should go. There is order th—"

"And what good is that when Grimm are unpredictable? You walk into a fight expecting a small group, but what happens to all that planning when that group turns into a horde? You might have potential, but you have a lot to learn. And stop being so _Atlesian_."

She knew a hopeless argument when she saw one. When their opinions were so vastly different, there was no hoping to convince him otherwise. Winter had enough experience in getting into such fights to know better. Even so, her temper was not one easily dampened.

"I _am_ Atlesian."

"Pity."

She scowled at him. How dare he?

"What are you doing training anyway? Isn't there supposed to be a dance going on?"

Rolling her eyes, Winter wondered why it was any of his business. Surely she couldn't be the only one ditching it for more practice.

"I could ask the same of you."

"Dances aren't really my thing," he said with a smirk.

Winter felt the creeping heat of embarrassment reach her cheeks, but she refused to be outwitted. "I _meant_ why are you in Atlas? In a training area at that?"

"Work," he stated as if there were no room to question further. "So what's your story? The Ice Queen couldn't get a date?"

"I didn't want one," she scoffed. "If you have no business here, leave me be. I have to practice."

Once more she fell into the usual steps of her attacks, and while she was usually able to ignore having someone blatantly watching her, feeling the other's eyes on her made Winter spin back toward him once more. Was he _trying_ to upset her?

" _What?_ " she hissed.

"You're too predictable," Qrow said with a shrug. "And you're leaving yourself open on your left."

Scowling, Winter wanted to ignore him, but there was also the fact that Qrow was a trained huntsman and another set of eyes catching what she was missing earlier. Maybe that was what she was trying to figure out before. Not that she would admit that to him.

"When?" she questioned.

"Between your third or forth movement into the next. You're too structured in your attacks, but your enemy won't care about your precision, nor will they wait for you to pull off a perfect attack."

The fact that this was not the first time she was hearing _that_ advice made it hard to swallow, especially coming from him, but for the moment she noticed that he was far more tolerable when trying to explain something than when he decided to say something snarky. Winter half expected mocking comments. Maybe he wasn't all that bad.

"I do have my glyphs," she stated as if that would be enough to make up for her mistake.

"Only as long as your Aura lasts, right? That doesn't do you much good if you are out in the field and it's drained. Think of something to change your attack to better cover your left."

That wasn't particularly helpful, but at the same time, what he said was true. She couldn't be dependent on her glyphs when they only lasted as long as her Aura held out. Some took more energy than others, as well. Summoning took the most energy, calling forth a mimic of fallen enemies surely was not without cost. It was a draining skill, but a useful one. One more ally could mean the difference between victory and death.

"I am certain I will come up with something," she said with a flat tone. She didn't want to fully acknowledge that she would consider taking his advice, but at the same time it was unavoidable.

"Good."

She watched as he brushed off non-existent dust from his sleeves and turn away.

"Don't overwork yourself. You can't win if you're tired."

With a frown, Winter continued to stand there as Qrow lifted a hand as if to say goodbye as he walked away. She knew well enough to not push herself too much, but with the tournament around the corner, she had to get in as much practice as she could. Just another hour or so should be sufficient for now.

 

* * *

 

The arena was packed, not that Winter was surprised by this. No, the Vytal Festival pulled in an audience from all over Remnant, not just the kingdom that was hosting it. So it was to be expected to see people from each kingdom—not only the students—and she took her seat with her teammates. While she was not too interested in watching other teams compete, there was an advantage to seeing what her own team could be up against in later rounds.

The first fight was between team JSPR from Shade Academy and team BLZD from Haven Academy. It was short lived as JSPR was quick to deplete the Auras of their opponents. Winter found herself hardly impressed by the display. Haven's team could have easily drawn out the fight longer to make it a less embarrassing loss if they simply coordinated their attacks better. They even had an advantage over the other team, but it was useless as they didn't seem to even notice.

Why allow novices to participate when they were going to do nothing more than embarrass themselves?

Throughout the afternoon other matches received similar, silent criticism from Winter; however, there were some teams that impressed her. There was even a fight between a team from Haven Academy and their own Atlas Academy that had her uncertain on who the victors would be. While a victory for Atlas Academy would improve their image as a combat school, the team from Haven was quite talented.

In the end it was Haven's team that pulled ahead and won the match.

Then it was her team's turn.

The random draw showed her team was to face team HVST from Beacon Academy. Taking the time to gather their weapons, Winter was silent as they made their way out into the arena floor and faced their opponents.

From what she could see, the other team hardly seemed to be any proper threat to her own, but if anything, she was well aware that appearances did not always meet expectations.

"A _Schnee_?" one opponent sneered. "You know, I'll have fun knocking you down a peg or two."

The taunt was one she would have liked to reply to, but as her father might be watching—and she was not to be an embarrassment to their family name—Winter kept what she wanted to say to herself. Instead she offered only a disinterested glance, only managing to annoy the other even more.

"I have other teammates you _might_ want to keep an eye on as well," she finally stated. It would be foolish to focus entirely on one opponent when there were three others who could be sneaking up.

"Don't tell them that," one of her own team joked. "We'll lose the surprise factor."

Once the randomizer picked their terrain, Winter tried calculating out the best course of action.

And the match began.

Winter dashed off to find the perfect opportunity to strike, but it seemed she had two members of the opposite team going after her. Maybe she should be flattered that they thought her to be the bigger threat, but at the same time she wondered if they targeted her because they thought she would be the easiest to cut down. No matter, she could deal with them.

Spinning and clashing with one head on, she noticed that they used a sort of halberd weapon, but what else it could do was unknown to her at the moment. She didn't have time to think about this as the other member from team HVST shot at her with duel pistols. If nothing else, she had to admire their teamwork at having a close ranged fighter keeping her occupied while the other shot from a distance.

But she was going to need some help.

Dodging a blow, Winter ran from her first opponent, glyphs lining her path as she sped off toward the other.

The sound of a buzzer briefly caught her attention, but she chose to ignore it. The announcement instead, being her source of information. It seemed one on the opposing team was thrown from the ring.

Now it was four versus three.

Buying time for now was her best bet, but it seemed that her first opponent was not giving up, and apparently their halberd could turn into a rifle.

Whatever happened to the classics?

Seeing a signal from one of her teammates as they neared her second opponent, Winter turned back to her first and stood straight while facing them. If they were going to fight one on one, then so be it. She watched as they lifted the rifle once more, and she continued to wait. It wasn't until they went to pull the trigger that she darted and moved in closer once more, forcing them to switch back to the halberd and swing at her.

The screeching of blades in contact with each other was not the most pleasant, but Winter knew she could not match her opponent's strength. Diverting the others weapon to the side, she flipped the trigger to pull out her parrying blade and spun to hit the other, only to take a blow to her side and crash to the ground.

Internally she groaned at the fact that her left was unguarded.

She would never hear the end of it.

Now was not the time to think about that, however. Rolling out of the way of another blow, Winter heard an explosion and used the temporary distraction of her opponent to put some distance between them. She might be a close range fighter with her blades, but there was an added trick up her sleeve.

But every Schnee had this skill.

Once there was a safe enough distance between her and her one rather stubborn opponent, Winter focused on a summoning glyph and brought forth a Beowolf to the fight. Unlike those it mimicked out in the wild, _this_ would obey her, and would buy her time.

Right now that was all she needed.

Then the buzzer went off again.

The announcements stated that both teams lost a fighter this time. When one of her teammates was being thrown from the ring, they took another with them. At least she could be happy that they chose to be strategic in their disqualification from the match.

This put them down to three against two.

No matter, they still had the advantage, and Winter was not going to waste time gloating. She already watched as matches turned in favor of those with less members for stupid mistakes. Making similar errors was not allowed.

Catching a signal from one of her remaining teammates, Winter sent her summon running full force at her persistent opponent. The false Grimm would not last long if struck, she knew that it was not strong enough of a skill of hers to hold up for more than once good hit on it yet—in addition to it being a constant drain on her Aura—but there was always use for a distraction.

As her opponent went to strike her summon, they were struck with explosive ammo and sent flying, their Aura dropping dangerously close to red.

Another buzzer and another member of the opposing team down.

Just the one left.

With three versus one, the match could practically be called now. They all coordinated their attacks on the last one standing of Beacon's team, and the match was over.

They managed to hold their own for this fight, but they were not done yet. The doubles round would be their next challenge, and they had to make a decision.

Who would move on to that fight when the time came?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case anyone was wondering...  
> JSPR - Jasper  
> BLZD - Blizzard  
> HVST - Harvest  
> Were the team abbreviations used in this chapter.
> 
> Also, I apologize for this chapter. I cannot write fight scenes for the life of me, and having an unfilled in team made that a bit more difficult. I think I know what I'll do for the doubles round, though. Maybe then we'll have a bit less Winter-centric stuff. Maybe.


End file.
